Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
CDC's New Childhood Vaccine Guidance Gets Pushback From West Coast States
San Francisco Chronicle: California And Its Western Allies Reject CDC’s Scaled-Back Childhood Vaccine Guidance
Health officials in California, Oregon, Washington and Hawaii continue to endorse the same childhood vaccines that have long been part of U.S. public health policy — despite a move by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to significantly reduce the number of vaccinations routinely recommended for children. The CDC on Monday announced it is downgrading its recommendation that all children get vaccinated against the flu, hepatitis A, meningococcal disease, rotavirus and RSV. (Ho, 1/6)
The Colorado Sun: Colorado Pushes Back On New Federal Vaccine Recommendations
One day after the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention abruptly changed the nation’s recommended schedule for childhood immunizations, Colorado’s Health Department on Tuesday promoted a different set of recommendations that stick with the former schedule. (Ingold, 1/7)
NOTUS: Cassidy Says Childhood Vaccine Schedule Changes Will ‘Make America Sicker’
Sen. Bill Cassidy, a Louisiana Republican and one of Congress’ few medical professionals, on Monday criticized the Department of Health and Human Services’ newly revised vaccination schedule for children — saying it will “make America sicker.” “The vaccine schedule IS NOT A MANDATE. It’s a recommendation giving parents the power,” Cassidy posted to X. “Changing the pediatric vaccine schedule based on no scientific input on safety risks and little transparency will cause unnecessary fear for patients and doctors, and will make America sicker.” (Benavides-Colón, 1/6)
Also —
CIDRAP: Confusion Surrounds CDC’s ‘Shared Clinical Decision-Making’ Paradigm For Childhood Vaccines
Yesterday, in introducing drastic cuts to the nation’s childhood immunization schedule, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said “shared clinical decision-making” would be used for pediatric vaccines against rotavirus, COVID-19, influenza, hepatitis A and B, and meningococcal disease. But most Americans are confused by the idea of shared clinical decision-making, according to data from the Annenberg Public Policy Center (APPC), which asked adults about the term in two separate surveys in August and December of last year. (Soucheray, 1/6)
Stat: What The New Vaccine Schedule Means For Doctors, Parents, And Kids
When Robert F. Kennedy Jr. assumed the role of health secretary almost one year ago, he said he had one overriding goal: to improve children’s health. But Kennedy’s sudden, unilateral, and sweeping change to the nation’s childhood vaccine schedule, announced Monday, will do the opposite, pediatrics and public health experts warn. (Cueto, 1/6)
KFF Health News: The CDC Just Sidelined These Childhood Vaccines. Here’s What They Prevent
The federal government has drastically scaled back the number of recommended childhood immunizations, sidelining six routine vaccines that have safeguarded millions from serious diseases, long-term disability, and death. Just three of the six immunizations the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says it will no longer routinely recommend — against hepatitis A, hepatitis B, and rotavirus — have prevented nearly 2 million hospitalizations and more than 90,000 deaths in the past 30 years, according to the CDC’s own publications. (Allen and Fortiér, 1/6)
In related news about flu, covid, mpox, and HPV —
Newsweek: Psychologist Reveals Why People Aren’t Getting Flu Shot Even As Cases Surge
As flu season hits the country with over 81,000 hospitalizations and 3,100 deaths reported so far, a large number of Americans are still hesitant to get vaccinated against it, but why? As of December 2025, only 34 percent of adults across the country had gotten a flu shot. Among those who decided against vaccination, 16 percent worried about its safety, and 13 percent rejected it because they “never get sick." (Azzurra Volpe, 1/6)
MedPage Today: COVID Continues To Take A Toll, Especially Among Older Adults, Study Suggests
Despite the end to the public health emergency declaration in May 2023, COVID-19 continued to have a large impact on the U.S. population and healthcare system, a cross-sectional study suggested. (Rudd, 1/6)
CIDRAP: Mpox Antibodies Wane 2 Years After Infection Or Vaccination, Study Finds
Neutralizing antibodies (NAbs) against mpox decline substantially, often becoming undetectable, within two years of either mpox infection or vaccination with the modified vaccinia Ankara–Bavarian Nordic (Jynneos) vaccine, according to a small new study led by researchers at Vita-Salute San Raffaele University in Milan, Italy. (Bergeson, 1/6)
CIDRAP: Analysis Suggests HPV Vaccine Protects Unvaccinated People Through Herd Immunity
A new nationwide cohort study from Sweden suggests that widespread human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination could substantially reduce the risk of precancerous lesions even among people who never received the vaccine. (Bergeson, 1/6)
